Integrity aims to ensure that the actions of public officials and employees are consistent
with the law in order to prevent conflicts of interest and corruption. Conflicts of interest can lead to favouritism, abuse of power, discrimination, a lack of impartiality and objectivity, and, ultimately, corruption. Integrity facilitates appropriate management of the various interests at stake and, thus, prevents conflicts of interest that could lead to corruption in public procurement.
In this presentation Agustí Cerrillo examines the mechanisms that ensure integrity in public procurement through transparency, good management, prevention of conflicts of interest and control and accountability mechanisms. It also explores how these mechanisms are reflected in the Spanish legal framework.
It also analyses different measures to guarantee integrity included in the several
plans of democratic regeneration passed by Spanish public administration. It also studies the Act 19/2013, of 3 December, on transparency, access to public sector information and good governance and Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on public procurement.

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2. Integrity in public procurement
Integrity refers to ensuring that public officials and employees act in accordance
with the law, without allowing other private interests, motivations or goals to
trump the general interest
Integrity goes beyond public ethics, resulting in a variety of mechanisms intended
both to enable and facilitate good administration and to prevent conflicts of interest
and corruption
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El principio de integridad en la contratación pública

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Good management of public procurement is facilitated by improving the organization
and procedure involved
E-procurement helps to guarantee the principles of public procurement
2.2. Good management
El principio de integridad en la contratación pública

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Conflicts of interest refer to any situation in which the people involved in the procurement
procedure have, directly or indirectly, a financial, economic or other personal interest
that might be perceived to compromise their impartiality and independence
• obligations of information
• restrictions on certain activities
• disciplinary and criminal measures
• mechanisms to ensure both knowledge of and assistance for public officials and
employees
• codes of conduct in which they specify the standards of behaviour expected of
public employees.
2.3. Prevention of conflict of interest
El principio de integridad en la contratación pública

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Control and accountability mechanisms intended to enable oversight and control of
compliance with the law and other established public procurement standards
• Procurement courts
• Anti-Fraud Offices
• Whistleblowers protection
2.4. Control and accountability mechanisms
El principio de integridad en la contratación pública

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3. Integrity as a general principle of law
Integrity is a substantive concept that transcends the existing principles of public
procurement and constitutes a separate principle of public procurement in its own
right
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El principio de integridad en la contratación pública